


Hanami

by catystorm (trismegistus)



Series: Kansaki Sou [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Multi-Fandom, Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-17
Updated: 2010-03-17
Packaged: 2017-10-08 01:36:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/71352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trismegistus/pseuds/catystorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a quiet day in early spring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hanami

When Edward found Kenshin, it was out behind the dojo. He was spreading a large quilt on the ground beneath one of the blossoming trees, smoothing the unevenness from the material as best he could on the ground. Edward stopped beside the corner of the dojo and watched Kenshin for a moment.

Kenshin knew he was there and watching, it was a rare thing indeed for Edward to get the drop on him. Kenshin turned, still on his knees, and smiled at Edward. "There you are," he said. "Saves me the trouble of going to look for you and coming back to a werewolf sleeping on my nice clean quilt."

Edward snorted. "It seems to me that if you're spreading the quilt on the ground it really isn't very clean anymore." He came around the corner of the building. The dojo was the furthest building back on the property and wasn't really in use anymore, so the area was fairly deserted. The woodlands crept up close to it, but there was a line of flowering trees that seemed to be defying the cool weather and showing off new pink buds. "What are you doing back here?"

Kenshin beckoned him closer and Edward came to the edge of the quilt. His boots and trousers were a little muddy from tussling with the Ed who lived in the garage earlier, so he didn't go any further. "Hanami," Kenshin said. He patted the quilt beside him. "Come and join me?"

"Hanami," Edward repeated. "This is another of your weird Japanese things, right?" He heeled off one shoe and then the other, leaving the muddy boots beside the edge of the blanket and sitting himself cross-legged on the quilt opposite Kenshin.

"I'm insulted," Kenshin said, in a tone that told Edward he wasn't insulted at all. "It's an aesthetic thing, Edward. You should know by now that I like to stop and appreciate the beautiful things in life."

Edward met Kenshin's eyes but he could feel his ears heat at the meaning behind those words. "Yeah, but what is it, exactly."

"Oh, yes." Kenshin sat down off his knees, putting his back toward the tree trunk, and gestured out at the several flowering trees. "It is, quite literally, watching the sakura."

"Ah," Edward said. He looked around, then up, just a soft breeze drifted through the branches, shaking loose several petals. "Really? That's it?"

Kenshin laughed as he reached for a bundle sitting at the far end of the quilt. "Well, there's also drinking," he said. "But yeah. It's a good time to contemplate the fragility of life and appreciate the delicate beauty of the cherry blossom."

The bundle held a bottle of sake and several cups. Edward wasn't a great fan of sake, but knew it was Kenshin's alcoholic beverage of choice so when Kenshin offered him one of the tiny cups of the rice wine he took it without issue.

He didn't intend to wait for Kenshin to be taking a sip of the sake before speaking, but it just came out that way. "They're very ... pink," he said, still staring up at the branches arcing over their heads.

Kenshin made a funny noise into his drink, nearly sputtering it. Edward raised and eyebrow and Kenshin laughed, bumping his shoulder into Edward's as he drained his cup.

Edward drank his sake quickly, not interested in savoring the flavor like Kenshin was, and laid back on the quilt. It was made of a thin material, he could feel the bumpy ground through it. Edward pillowed his head on his arms and stared up at the tree above them. The sky was a bright shade of blue, and while it was still cool spring was definitely on its way.

Kenshin leaned back on one hand, the other still holding his sake cup. He glanced down at Edward, who, after a moment, shifted his glance to Kenshin. Another soft breeze rushed around the corner of the dojo, stirring the blossoms and sending several handfuls spiraling into the air. Kenshin looked over and watched the petals drift through the air, and Edward watched Kenshin.

Several landed on the blanket with them, on both Edward and Kenshin. Edward laughed a bit as Kenshin brushed a few off of him. He shot a look at Edward, and leaned over to brush one out of Edward's bangs. His hand hesitated, then rested on Edward's face, the thumb on the corner of his mouth. Kenshin leaned in and kissed Edward gently as more sakura stirred in the air around them.

*

Kenshin lay back on the quilt with Edward, one hand pillowing his head and the other intertwined with Edward's. Every now and then, a fresh wind would send several flurries of sakura into the air.

"It's so pink," Edward said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah," Kenshin said. "Do you know where they get their color?"

"Betalains," Edward said without hesitation. He looked over at Kenshin in confusion when Kenshin started laughing almost uncontrollably. "What?"

"It's a legend," Kenshin laughed. "That sakura trees flower over a dead body, and the deep pink of their petals is the reflection of the lost blood of the body."

Edward frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't have to, that's the point," Kenshin said. He squeezed Edward's hand and smiled.

"You're a freak," Edward said after a moment of contemplation.

"Says the guy with two metal limbs."

"You're a freak just because you are, and I'm a freak because I'm a gimp." Edward snorted.

"We make a perfect pair," Kenshin said.

Edward was silent for a long moment. "Yeah," he said, the smile in his voice. "We do."

**Author's Note:**

> I am well aware that the myth of sakura getting its pink tint from the bodies buried beneath was first chronicled in the 1920s; however reincarnated!Kenshin has done a lot of reading on recent Japanese history.


End file.
